Disney World Park Itineraries & Touring Plans
Our Walt Disney World itineraries offer step by step touring plans with strategy for 1-day and multi-day visits to Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and Animal Kingdom. We also have time-saving tips for avoiding crowds, long lines for rides, and minimizing wait times at Disneyland, Tokyo, Paris, and Hong Kong. (Updated October 11, 2020.)
These Walt Disney World 1-day itineraries have all been overhauled following the phased reopening of the parks. A lot has changed in the last several months from a strategy perspective, including the temporary suspension of FastPass+, pause of Extra Magic Hours, reduction of operating hours, and reduction of park & ride capacity.
We’ve visited on a regular basis, making multiple trips to the Walt Disney World parks each week during phased reopening. We’ve also been tracking wait time data over the last several months. Through mid-October 2020, there have been significant changes in guest behavior, and certain attractions now have longer and shorter wait times than before. Consequently, we’ve tested various approaches, and fine-tuned strategy as crowds have progressively increased. These overhauled WDW itineraries are the fruits of those experiences, wait time data, and observations…
Additionally, strategy has been updated to include the two new headliners at Disney’s Hollywood Studios–Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. The latter is the blockbuster attraction of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, and it uses a frustrating virtual queue and boarding pass system. Unlike other attractions, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance does not offer a standby line.
Other itinerary tweaks account for attraction closures, new offerings at Epcot, the opening of Soaring Fantastic Flight, and more. Additionally, the Disney Skyliner gondolas and new resorts at Walt Disney World are now included in some of our “beyond the parks” itineraries.
Our patented (not really) park strategy guides are unlike most theme park itineraries that you’ll find. We take a balanced approach that prioritizes efficiency and avoids long wait times for attractions (“I love waiting in lines!” ~said no one, ever) while also savoring Walt Disney World’s ambiance.
This results in Disney touring plans that allow you to get a lot done, while also enjoying the scenery and what the theme parks have to offer beyond the rides. We do not view the parks simply as collections of attractions that should be completed checklist style, so the plans balance “getting stuff done” with “having a nice, leisurely day.”
If that approach sounds appealing to you, check out our touring plans for Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and the international Disney Parks…
Walt Disney World Post-Reopening Itineraries
With 4 theme parks, plus 2 water parks, a couple dozen resort hotels, and lots of “other stuff” our 1-day plans for Walt Disney World barely scratch the surface.
Here are our current touring plans for Walt Disney World, all of which have been updated as of Fall 2020 to account for modified, post-reopening operations, current crowd patterns, and more…
Magic Kingdom 1-Day Itinerary – An aggressive itinerary for Walt Disney World’s flagship park that starts with an early morning in Fantasyland and Frontierland. It also covers snacking, shows, and more. It’s normally tough to do Magic Kingdom in a single day, but this comes very close.
Epcot 1-Day Itinerary – Few Epcot touring plans can hit the “Big Three” (Frozen Ever After, Test Track, and Soarin’ Around the World) in a single day, but this one manages to do exactly that–with minimal waits. You’ll also fully experience Future World and be able to have a pleasant time in World Showcase.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios 1-Day Itinerary – Everything you’ll want to do in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, including Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, Toy Story Land, Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, roller coasters, and the park’s many shows. This DHS touring plan also includes two table service meals, which are among the best-themed restaurants at Walt Disney World!
Disney’s Animal Kingdom 1-Day Itinerary – Post-reopening, this is our most counter-intuitive itinerary. While Animal Kingdom is a full-day park, it requires a different approach than the others. This itinerary gets you in and out of Pandora – World of Avatar efficiently, bypassing the frequent two-hour waits for Flight of Passage. It also allows ample time for exploration, animal watching, and eating.
Other Walt Disney World Itineraries
Magic Kingdom 2-Day Itinerary – Our preferred way to experience Magic Kingdom. The pace here is slightly more leisurely, allowing for more snack time, soaking up the beautiful details, and meals at the best restaurants in the park. (Not updated for post-reopening operations.)
Disney’s Hollywood Studios Half-Day Itinerary – Since it’s currently not the best park, we recommend those short on time do only an evening at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This touring plan manages to hit the highlights in a half-day. (Not updated for post-reopening operations.)
1-Day Self-Guided Yuletide Itinerary – The very first itinerary we published, as a way of exploring Walt Disney World’s many beautiful resorts at Christmas. This totally free plan covers the best of Disney during the holidays, including Wilderness Lodge’s towering tree, Grand Floridian’s gorgeous gingerbread house, and more!
Skyliner Sip & Snack Itinerary – Walt Disney World’s new aerial transportation system presents some great opportunities to glide around via the gondolas, doing some delicious dining, drinking, and hotel hijinks along the way. This is either a half-day or full-day itinerary, depending upon how long you linger at each stop.
Walt Disney World “Beyond the Parks” 1-Day Itinerary – Have a free day but don’t want to spend it poolside or simply shopping the day away at Disney Springs? This itinerary takes you around other under-the-radar spots at Walt Disney World that are fun but do not charge admission.
Disneyland Resort
In an ideal world, we recommend two full days at Disneyland, which is now the case more than ever following the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Additionally, we recommend a full day or more at Disney California Adventure to see and explore the more leisurely park without feeling rushed. There’s so much entertainment in addition to attractions that it’s difficult to see and do it all in a single day.
This is especially true now, as crowds have also increased at Disneyland dramatically in the last 3 years, meaning longer wait times and fewer attractions per day. When Rise of the Resistance opens in Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, or once the land gets more crowded, you might just need a third day at Disneyland.
Disneyland Park 1-Day Touring Plan – Our most aggressive single-day itinerary for the Disney theme park with the most attractions, this Disneyland touring plan starts in Fantasyland, includes ideal FastPass strategy, along with plenty of snacking and soaking up the quaint charm of “Walt Disney’s original magic kingdom.” (Updated to include Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.)
Disneyland 2-Day Touring Plan – A Disneyland touring plan with time to breathe. This one covers all of the same ground as our 1-day itinerary, while also seeing and doing things that you’d have to skip in a single day due to a lack of time. (Updated to include Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.)
Disney California Adventure 1-Day Touring Plan – If you want to do Radiator Springs Racers, Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout, or DCA’s other thrill rides without waiting in long lines, our Disney California Adventure itinerary is for you.
International Disney Parks
In this case, “International Parks” means the two parks at Tokyo Disney Resort and Disneyland Paris, plus Hong Kong Disneyland. Much like Disneyland, neither Tokyo Disneyland or DisneySea can be fully experienced in a single day. However, we recognize that’s how much time most people will allocate to these parks during a trip to Japan, so here are our plans for those parks:
Tokyo Disneyland 1-Day Touring Plan – Another challenging castle park thanks to a surplus of attractions and live entertainment. Nevertheless, this Tokyo Disneyland itinerary allows you to do as much as possible via efficient ordering of rides.
Tokyo DisneySea 1-Day Touring Plan – Our favorite theme park in the world, period. This Tokyo DisneySea itinerary does the tough tightrope walk of getting you through popular rides efficiently, while also savoring this ornately designed park like a fine wine.
Disneyland Paris 1-Day Touring Plan – We take that same ‘fine wine’ approach here, as Disneyland Paris is the most lavish–and best designed–castle park in the world. This itinerary strikes the perfect balance.
Walt Disney Studios Park 1-Day Touring Plan – A far cry from the castle park next door, WDSP is–bluntly–a utilitarian park. This itinerary gets you in and out as quickly as possible, so you can do the rides and shows here and then hightail it back to Disneyland Paris.
Hong Kong Disneyland 1-Day Touring Plan – The new quaint, uncrowded Disney park, Hong Kong Disneyland is the only castle park that does not require an efficient plan of attack. Nonetheless, waiting in line is never fun, so this HKDL itinerary covers what order to do the popular rides here.
That covers it for our Disney Parks itineraries! If there are any other plans you’d like to see, or if you have questions about the current Disney Parks plans, please let us know in the comments!
Planning a visit to one of the Disney theme parks? Check out our Disney Parks Vacation Planning Guides for everything you need to start planning a trip to Walt Disney World, Disneyland Resort, Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disney Resort, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Aulani in Hawaii.
Your Thoughts
What would you include in your ideal day at the Disney Parks? If you haven’t visited yet, what do you plan on doing? Anything you’d add to any of our plans? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback—even when you disagree with us—is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
As a *First-Timer* to Disney World for this upcoming Thanksgiving week, do you think 3 days at Magic Kingdom could be overkill? We have reserved 1 day at DHS (we actually had to adjust our travel plans even to accommodate the one day DHS was still available, so unfortunately could not get 2 days); 1 day at Animal Kingdom; 1 day at Epcot; and 3 days at Magic Kingdom, with the thought that we might drop the 3rd Magic Kingdom day to spend a second day at Epcot, instead. We’d like to make the most of our trip, so we’re not sure if 2 days would give us a comfortable amount of time to get the most out of Magic Kingdom, or if it’s cutting it close such that a 3rd day might be beneficial. We’re Disneyland locals, so there’s that (but sadly who knows when Disneyland will return!). I should also mention we are two adults, no children. We would greatly appreciate any feedback!
How important are roller coasters to you?
Hi Megan,
Pretty important – that’s mostly what we want to be doing. I’d wildly guestimate we want to try and hit 70-80% of the major attractions, with some cuts for specific rides we don’t care too much about or if the wait starts creeping above the 1-hour mark.
Sounds like you had a great time on your trip! I really wish we could’ve gone earlier than a holiday week, but unfortunately couldn’t work around our schedules.
I’m glad you’re doing at least two days at MK! Tom and Sarah have done a great job with sample itineraries and I would for sure use those as the basis for my decisions if I were you. It’s agonizing, right, no one will able to say what Thanksgiving week looks like until it’s here. With the way each weekend past Labor Day kept getting bigger and bigger and the Friday we were at MK being a Teacher Planning Day for several large Florida districts, I was sure we were in for it. It was a really pleasant surprise to see that we weren’t. Perhaps it will be the similar for you! Just make sure you arrive in time for rope drop!!
Epcot is so different from MK, DHS, and AK in that it’s like two parks in one. I think a lot of people just zoom through Future World to experience Soarin’, Test Track, Mission: Space, and Spaceship Earth. (The fact that there’s a big construction zone slap dab in the middle doesn’t help the visitor see it as a cohesive experience, anyhow.) It’s only a half day to see those.
But World Showcase is such a fun place to explore, I wouldn’t expect to do it justice just by giving it the other half day unused from Future World. (Plus who knows when you’ll be at WDW again?) On this last visit I discovered an Art Gallery in Japan that is currently featuring an exhibit on Kawaii. I also have fun with coin presses – when my family isn’t groaning that I’m holding them up – this time getting pressed pennies from Norway and Japan. There’s also a character parade and lots of live music. I wouldn’t create a schedule, per se, for World Showcase.
I hope this helps!
Here’s our report for Wednesday, 10/28. Arrived at the car park entrance at 10:00. We paid and waited until parking opened at 10:15. Our family of four parked, went through temp check, security, scan of Magic Bands, and hustled to Test Track, arriving at 10:30. We got in line in the blessed A/C (yay!) but the PA announcement said that the ride itself would not start running until park open (boo!). It actually started up by 10:45. We were in the Frozen line by 11:06, where the posted wait was 55 minutes but the end-of-line staff were announcing it would be between 60-70 minutes. (The line came right alongside Nine Dragons restaurant in China.) Our wait ended up being around 45 minutes. Folks, only the last 10 minutes were indoors. Even though it was only in the mid-80’s we were sweating because of the sun shining directly on us. Be prepared. Frozen was cute, but my Frozen-everything child said it wasn’t worth the wait. The 12 year old boy thought it was great, though. Who’d’ve thunk?
We pressed some pennies in Norway before heading to the USA pavilion, arriving in time for the 12:30 American Adventure showing. It was the kids’ – 6th and 3rd grades – first time there and they were both captivated by the show. (Pause for proud mom moment.) We ate at Regal Eagle afterward and were happy to see live Music at the amphitheater. We explored Japan, checking out the Kawaii exhibit, pressing more pennies, and shopping. (Great selection of fans. Also all the Hello Kitty! merch this child of the 80’s could ever want.) Walking past the International Gateway we decided to try out the SkyLiner, which was a blast, and might turn out to be one of the kids’ favorite memories of the day. From there we went to Test Track (30 minute posted wait), Mission: SPACE green (10 minute posted wait), and Soarin’ (20 minute posted wait). We hit Livin’ with the Land (5 minutes) since it was right there. On the way out the kids insisted only Nemo & Friends – “only a 10 minute wait, mom!” – so we walked right on. Our last stop was Spaceship Earth, where we entered the line at 6:55.
One thing that disappointed me was the prevalence of loud and obnoxious (presumably drunk) guests. It’s not my first Food & Wine Festival, but it’s the first time I’ve stood in a queue in Future World and seen able to smell alcohol on the breath of other guests. I found that particularly notable given social distancing and an abundance of Plexiglas barriers. If I were to plan another trip to Epcot during F&W I might focus on educational or kid-themed attractions after 3:00 p.m. Unless Disney does anything to address this issue, that is.
Overall, a good day.
We used many of your tips this past week at Disney, and my husband and boys had never been. I remember visits when I was 7, 10, 12, and 23, so a lot was different. For a 16 year gap, the lack of changes to Epcot was disappointing, but the improvements to Hollywood (MGM when I went) were noticeable. Galaxy’s Edge is awesome (although its competition at another park challenges it). AK was new to me, and Small World was still, well, Snall World. On Sunday at Epcot, we started with Frozen, which was less than an hour wait, since Test Track was 110 minutes before official opening and never fell below an hour…bummer. But we rode everything in Epcot, and all rides except for Test Track took 20 minutes less than were posted. At Hollywood on Monday, we scored boarding group 37 for Rise while in line for Mania. Slinky Dog and Runaway Railroad were 120+ minutes before official opening. We did Slinky Dog and Runaway Railroad the last two hours of the day. We rode everything else in between. My husband asked about the Indiana Jones stunt show, which I remembered from 27 years ago. Sad that it wasn’t playing. We arrived at Animal Kingdom after opening on Tuesday, which was not a good idea. It would have been if we hadn’t had reservations for Yak and Yeti. Since there’s not much to obsorb the crowds right now, I don’t recommend table service restaurants for once-in-a-lifetime-visitors (like us) at this park. The waits were longer than posted, with the exception of Dinosaur, and we missed the safari (possibly due more to a child having a chafing issue and taking forever in the bathroom; otherwise, I think we could have sneaked it in). For Magic Kingdom on Thursday, we rode Splash Mountain and Big Thunder before 9:30! To do this, we arrived at the parking entrance just after 8:00, yet no one was allowed through until 8:20 or so. Getting in the park by 8:45 and snagging a literal walk-on for Splash Mountain helped us ride the majority of things plus eat at Tony’s, which proved, as you suggested, a great spot for the cavalcades. Without your suggestions for where to start, we may not have been able to do what we did. Rise was the overall favorite, but being the only girl in my household and appreciative of theming, I thought Frozen was pretty good, too (although Haunted Mansion is the best attraction in all of the parks…so much more than a ride; I’ve loved it since I was a little girl). Unfortunately, Small World has made for a lot of jokes in my household; my three boys and husband aren’t very mature. Speaking of my husband, he never wanted to talk about our trip and didn’t see why we just didn’t go to Dollywood for multiple days, but once we got into the parks, he realized strategy was needed and glad I read your blog so much. Most importantly, he saw how special the experience was. I got so many thank you hugs from all of my immature men. Your tips and tricks helped me be a hero (plus have an I-told-you-so moment with my chafing child).
Tom, thank you for sharing all of your Disney insight! I am now looking for something different: I am going to be at WDW during the first week of November. It is partially a work trip, and partially an “enjoy Disney as a solo adult” trip. I am wondering if you have suggestions for a trip along the lines of: “No Rides or Attractions: A Park Itinerary That Consists of Sitting and Soaking Up the Ambiance.” Any suggestions? Thank you! 🙂
Hi Tom,
We want to plan a Disney World trip for November 2021.
Do you have any thoughts as to when those dates will be available for booking?
As of now, the WDW website will not allow us to select a hotel during that month.
Thanks so much, these are so helpful! 2021 tickets and packages are allowing you to book Park Hoppers- so when do you think we will get word that we will actually be able to use them or if they will roll that back? We have a quick trip 1/1-1/4, so studying touring itineraries closely between now and the holidays.
Our Friday we planned for Animal Kingdom now has extended hours from 8-6pm. Magic Kingdom has now also extended their hours on Friday from 9-8pm. Should I swap our days and plan to visit MK on Friday instead?
Always insightful. I read every article Tom posts and the information is incredible. My question today is would your 1 day itinerary for Epcot change any if you were taking the Skyliner? It will be quite a trek at rope drop to hit test track first so I was just curious how you would handle that coming in the other entrance.
Probably makes sense to swap Test Track and Frozen Ever After in that case. Still a lot of backtracking, but that’s tough to avoid. Should be easier once Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure opens!
Hi there! I’ve been following your blog and posts as we have a trip coming up for Sept 10, 2020. Anyways, curious if we should follow your current itineraries as they’re posted for when we go or anything different we should do now that there’s no Fast Passes / reduced hours/reduced Crowds etc?
I was wondering how the itineraries have changed for Disney World with the limited capacities, lack of fastpasses and closures? We are going in late October and trying to see what other activities we might be able to squeeze in.
Hello,
The seemingly clickable links to alternate articles aren’t working. I’m going to Disney with my children for the first time this summer and need all the advice I can get. I know we won’t be going back for a long time so I feel like I made a mistake by booking the trip for this summer based on all of the construction. Any advice would be helpful.
What are the weight limitations on rides?
Hey Patty! Is there a particular ride you are curious about? All of Disney’s ride have seem to accommodate all people of various sizes even handicapped people (so there is NOT a weight limitation). The only thing I have seen is the Barnstormer does not work for 2 people that are on the bigger size. There are no worries :)! ( I am not Tom).
Anyone have any tips on when to schedule fastpasses for the day of arrival? Our plane touches down around 10:30 and we are using the Magical Express to the hotel.
Could we expect to be in the parks by noon or is that too soon? Thanks
I think it’s best to give yourself a couple hours buffer. When I take a morning flight I usually touch down at 8:30 and don’t get to the parks until 10:30, that includes stopping at the check in desk and then immediately going out to the buses.
The last trip we used the magic express was in april of 2019. It was a very long walk to the bus terminal, then another long wait to get on the bus. I would say about 2 hr. then the ride to your lodging. you check in with all your belongings and wait forr another bus to take you to the park. You may get there by 3 or 4 pm
I used your one day itineraries at Tokyo Disneyland and Disney Sea this past December and we were able to do so many of the attractions!
Your Disney Sea one especially, I grabbed a map the night before and actually plotted out the routes! We didn’t see any shows or parades, but hopefully when we go back in April, we will do so!
Have you heard anything about whether Disney will restructure the fast pass tiers at DHS once Rise of the Reisstance opens? Or do you think they’ll wait until runaway railway opens? We’re planning a trip in late January and will have to book fast passes in a few weeks.
I don’t know if we’ll make it to Tokyo Disneyland, but it’s on my bucket list. I’d like to see a 3-day plan for the two parks.
Thanks!
Hi Tom! Any idea when/if Diseny After Dark hours for February 2020 will be released? Any word if they will be offering these events next year too? Thanks!
Hi Tom,
Really great post, as always. I was wondering if you would be up to writing a dedicated Shanghai Disneyland 1-Day Touring Plan? I always found your itineraries really helpful, and a Shanghai one would definitely help me planning myself.
Thank you!
Hi Tom,
I’m taking two cousins in beginning of June. One is Italian, speaks no English. (We use Google Translate and works well!) The other in her 70’s will be in a W/C.
First, are there any translation devices in Italian at the parks?
Second, do you expect crowds to be obscene on June 5-7?
Thanks so much for any insight.
P.S. We are staying at Best Western Lake Buena Vista and hope to use shuttle or Lyft.
Hi Tom,
I’ve been following your blog for a few months and am so glad I stumbled upon it! Do you have or plan on creating a Disney World Holiday Itinerary? We are going in November and would love to have something to tell us what to do and see! We are planning on attending Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party as well! We have 2 small little girls so we think they will love that! Also interested in the Minnie’s Holiday Dine!
Thank you!